


Love thy neighbor

by captainstars



Category: Marvel 616
Genre: Alien Abduction, Animal Transformation, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Steve ‘fight me’ Rogers, Super Husbands, cat! Steve Rogers, ridiculous situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24883510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainstars/pseuds/captainstars
Summary: Neighbors are supposed to come around to borrow a cup of sugar; these ones take Steve’s husband instead.Or“So let me get this right, you came here to save me?” He asked.Steve ducked his head down in a nod.“But you managed to get captured by my kidnappers?” He added.Steve paused, and then repeated the motion.“And somewhere in the midst of all that, they turned you into a cat.” Tony pointed out, like it wasn’t obvious.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 114
Collections: Stony Loves Steve 2020





	Love thy neighbor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [picturecat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/picturecat/gifts).



If someone had told Steve that he’d spend his Tuesday trying to rescue his husband from alien invaders, he’d probably believe them. It just seemed like an inevitable part of becoming an avenger. 

Steve would have liked to think that he’d be calm in such a situation, but as he scaled down the side of the ship, he realized how far from the truth that assumption was. 

The craft was well fortified, but Steve managed to find one of the chambers that looked like they were used to deploy emergency shuttles. He snuck in, maintaining his guard. 

It was probably the anxiety that haunted him ever since he found out Tony had been taken, the possibility that his husband would be whisked off to another planet, too far away for Steve to reach him, that made him lose his focus a little. 

Steve was ready to tear apart the entire universe if it meant that he could hold Tony again and know that he was safe. If they just needed a human, he was willing to offer himself up in exchange. 

He didn’t see the shadow move in behind him, there was a bright flash of light. He swung his body away from it, but it was too late. 

—

They were stuck in what Tony described as the main control room together. Tony sat opposite Steve with a complicated expression on his face. He inhaled deeply to settle himself and then looked Steve in the eyes. 

“So let me get this right, you came here to save me?” He asked. 

Steve ducked his head down in a nod. 

“But you managed to get captured by my kidnappers?” He added. 

Steve paused, and then repeated the motion. 

“And somewhere in the midst of all that, they turned you into a cat.” Tony pointed out, like it wasn’t obvious. 

Steve ignored him and sniffed at the panels that covered the floor of the room they were in. He could tell that Tony was trying his best not to laugh, and Steve pretended to not feel charmed by his husband’s amusement even in this situation. 

Maybe stealing one of SHIELD’s spacecrafts’ had been overkill. At the time, he had been too panicked to think it over. Maybe taking off without telling anyone else hadn’t been his brightest idea either, but his husband had been kidnapped! He didn’t have any time to waste. Steve pawed at the ground in protest. 

Tony was fiddling around with some of the controls on the system in front of him. He chatted happily as he worked, “They call themselves the  _ Enumbra _ . Their planet is located a couple of galaxies away from ours. The Milky Way was supposed to be a short detour, but their ship broke down so they had no choice, really.” 

Steve jumped into his lap, and then hopped onto his shoulder. He let out a low whine, and Tony hummed sympathetically. “Yeah, you’re right. They could have been better about how they decided to ask for help. But they’re pretty unfamiliar with Earth’s culture, so they didn’t realize that stealing a person with only a note to explain yourself doesn’t have the best connotations. It also left me with little time to grab anything useful.” 

Steve butted his head under Tony’s chin, and then hopped back into Tony’s lap squirming around till he lay belly up within the cradle of Tony’s legs. Steve gave Tony his most pitiful look and Tony folded quicker than a wet tissue. 

With a soft look in his eyes, Tony gently ran his fingers through the thick golden fur on Steve’s belly. Steve grabbed his hand between his paws and gnawed at Tony’s fingers, paying extra attention to the sole ring he wore. Tony dug his fingers into the side of Steve’s face, along his whiskers, and Steve purred at the sensation. 

“Let’s hope that fixing their ship will be enough for them to agree to turn you back. Though I can’t deny that this new look suits you quite well.” Tony said, obviously fond. Steve didn’t bother to deign that with a response, he licked his paws and wiped his face. 

“I’m glad that they brought you here directly.” He paused, “I suppose you probably frightened them with all that yowling and scratching. It sure as hell surprised me when they dragged you in here and pushed you into my arms.” 

Steve turned over and curled up further into Tony’s warmth. Tony chuckled affectionately, “My hero.” He murmured. “Even as a tiny little cat you refuse to back down, huh?” 

He frowned a little, “It could have been dangerous, Steve. We’re lucky that the  _ Enumbra _ are a docile species. Despite their...grand appearance.” 

Steve looked up from where he had diverted his attention towards gnawing at one of the tools Tony had been provided. The ship was huge with wide and spacious rooms. Steve hadn’t gotten to see much of its insides before he had been apprehended. About fifteen minutes after they had shoved him into Tony’s arms, a crate with several knick-knacks had been delivered. Apart from that the Enumbra didn’t try to interact with them again. 

“Ah!” Tony exclaimed, he dug his hand deep into the heart of the system he was working on and after a few minutes of fiddling around with it, his expression cleared. “I think I got it, Cap!” He cheered. Steve licked the fingers of the hand closest to him; he had no doubt Tony would be able to fix whatever it was they wanted him to. 

Tony booped his nose playfully, and said, “I guess all that’s left to do is let them know that it’s done, huh? You think you’re ready to go home Steve?” 

Steve hopped to his feet and headed towards the door, looking back at Tony expectantly. Tony laughed, and then he pressed one of the many buttons on the panel in front of him. 

The effect was instantaneous, the door opened and one of the hulking  _ Enumbra _ guards stood on the other side. Steve hissed at them, the fur on his back rising with his aggression. Tony quickly walked over and picked Steve up in his arms, but Steve’s ire did not recede. 

“Sorry about that, he’s just protective.” Tony explained and then took a step back into the room. 

The guard was silent as they entered, their bear-like features were fierce but hard to read. They took a cursory look around the room, but they didn’t seem that interested in Tony’s work. Instead, they walked over to the crate of knick-knacks that lay intended in the middle of the room and after rummaging around a little with their giant furry hands, they pulled out a small blanket and held it out towards Tony. 

Tony slowly looked between the blanket and Steve, and then shook his head. Steve could tell that he was confused but he was trying to keep his emotions in check and remain in control of the situation. “It’s alright,” Tony said, “I’ve fixed everything, so if you could just turn Steve back to normal and let us go home, that would be perfect.” 

The  _ Enumbra’s _ face twisted into something similar to disappointment, but Steve wasn’t sure if the purple furred bear-like aliens expressed their emotions the same way humans did. After shooting Steve a final glance, the  _ Enumbra _ walked out of the room and gestured for them to do the same. They carried no weapons and led Steve and Tony around the ship at a relaxed pace. 

Finally, they came to stop in front of an ostentatious door. The design of the rest of the ship was comparatively simple, so the bright colors and elaborate patterns lighting up the door stood out. The  _ Enumbra _ guard calmly waited in front of the door until it slid open. Everything in this ship was scaled up, which made sense considering that the  _ Enumbra _ guard had to be at least eight feet tall. 

When the door opened the guard stepped to the side and looked at Tony. Tony buried his face into the fur of Steve’s back for a second and mumbled, “Guess we’re meeting whoever the biggest boss is around here, winghead.” His grip tightened around Steve and then he took a determined step into the room. 

If they thought the  _ Enumbra _ guard had been tall, it was nothing compared to the massive entity waiting for them inside. With lilac colored fur and a slender snout, this  _ Enumbra _ was easily two feet taller than the guard. There was only a single chair in the room on which they were seated. 

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Tony joked. Steve struggled a little in Tony’s embrace. Being small and helpless in an unfamiliar place and unable to protect his husband stressed him out. He forced himself to remain calm however, he trusted Tony with his life and would continue to do so until the day he died. 

There were three gold orbs floating around the  _ Enumbra’s _ head and they touched one of them. A soft, gentle voice flooded the room. 

_ Hello. I am Star healer. As we informed Man of Iron, we are Enumbra. This is my ship.  _

If Tony was startled, he did not show it. “Hello, Star healer. Lovely to meet you. Really, it’s not everyday I get to have a civil conversation with my alien abductor.” 

_ We are sorry. We had no choice. Without our power source we cannot return home. Misty clouds told us you would help. They told us you would ask for nothing in return.  _

“Misty clouds?” Tony prompted. 

_ They are my child. They live on earth. They enjoy human television.  _

“I see.” Tony said, he still sounded confused but accepted the situation for what it was. That was a testament to how weird their lives were. 

_ We are sorry about your bonded too. We would have taken you together, had we known.  _

Steve wriggled a little until Tony loosened his grip and Steve landed on the floor. He padded closer towards where Star healer was seated and stared at her. She considered him, and then with a flick of her finger one of the golden orbs floated towards Steve and gently landed on his nose. 

_ How about next time you don’t try to abduct my husband, and you just ask us for help? _

It was a little odd hearing his voice echo around the wide room like that. The Enumbra looked down at him and then nodded slowly. 

_ That is acceptable.  _

Tony cleared his throat, and then asked the question Steve knew had been bothering him since he had first seen Steve in this state. 

“I understand that you didn’t mean any harm by it, but I have to ask, why did you turn my husband into a cat? And as adorable as he is, I’ll have to request that you turn him back before we return.” Tony smiled, but Steve could see the tension around his eyes. He walked over and rubbed the side of his body against Tony’s ankles hoping it would provide some comfort. 

For the first time since they entered the room Star healer’s calm facade broke and a flash of regret passed over their face. 

_Misty clouds didn’t mean to. They thought he was an intruder. The device isn’t meant to harm. It turns the object in front of the user into whatever the user likes best. Misty clouds has a preference towards small creatures._ _Your bonded will return to normal within a day’s time. I apologize but it would be dangerous to force another transformation any earlier than that._

Tony took a step forward, “So you’re telling me that your kid likes cats, and you have a device that turns people into cats? Wow, I guess that’s one way to go about it.” 

Star healer blinked slowly. 

_ Misty clouds will remain with you until it is time.  _

Steve huffed. One day as a cat wasn’t ideal, but it also wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him. He stood on his hind legs, and rested his front paws on Tony’s leg. As easy as ever, Tony bent down and scooped Steve into his arms. 

_ Misty clouds will take you home now. If you ever need anything Man of Iron, you can ask Misty clouds. The Enumbra are not ungrateful.  _

As if summoned, the guard from earlier stepped into the room. They didn’t say anything, and simply waited. 

“You’re Misty clouds?” Tony guessed. 

The guard’s eyes darted to Star healer and then to Steve who was comfortably snuggled up in Tony’s arms. 

“I think they want to pet you.” Tony whispered into Steve’s velvety ear. Steve snorted and then tucked his face into Tony’s neck. 

Misty clouds’ shoulders drooped, but they nodded once at Star healer and then turned around and walked out of the room. 

Before following after them, Tony hummed speculatively and then asked, “Do you think I could take a look at the device Misty clouds used on Steve?” 

Star healer raised a brow. 

_ If that is what you wish. _

Tony grinned. “Great.” 

Then, with a last farewell, he jogged to catch up with Misty clouds. 

“Let’s go home, Steve. Maybe there will be enough time to try and see if I can make you a little Captain Pawmerica suit.” Tony teased. 

Steve nipped at his ear, but hearing the word home from Tony’s mouth would never fail to make him feel warm and fuzzy so he settled down as Misty clouds led them towards the row of shuttles they would use to make their return trip. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Aliens have stolen Steve's husband. One way or another, they're going to regret it.
> 
> Work came and punched me in the face so I didn’t have as much time to work on this as I would have liked, but I tried my best and I hope you like it, picturecat. 
> 
> All new characters are OCs invented purely for this fic. 
> 
> Thank you so much for the awesome prompts, this was so much fun to write. 
> 
> Special thanks to @SirSapling for the help with brainstorming. I said Cat Steve? And he said Yes because he’s the best enabler around.


End file.
